Feed mechanism for drying apparatus.



I PATENTBD JULY I4, 1908. H. BAETZ.

FEED MECHANISM FOR DRYING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 22, 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

IN'VENR.

Ea-J Henry Baezz ATTORNEY.

PATENTED JULY 14, 1908.

H. BAETZ. 1 I

FEED MECHANISM FOR DRYING APPARATUS. urmoumn FILED NOV. 2 1907.

WITNESSES: I N VEN TOR.-

Henry Baelz Q ATTORNEY.

HENRY BAEVTZJOF sT. LoUIs, MISSOURI.

FEED MECHANISM FOR DRYING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 14, 1908.,

Application filed November 22, 1907. Serial No. 403,390.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY BAETZ, citizen of the United States, residing at St. Lou1s,

State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inFeed Mechanisn'i for Dryin A paratus, of which the following'is a ful 0 car, and exact description,

reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention has r ation to improvements in feed mechanism or conveyers for veneer drying apparatus; and it consists in the novel arrangement and combination of parts more fully set forth in the specification and pointed out in the claims.

I11 the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a drying apparatus with walls partly broken away showing one form of my nvention. applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the broken line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of one end of a pair of juxtaposed conveyers constituting myfeed mechanism; Fi 4 is a vertical transverse section on the ine 44 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is an enlarged elevational detail showmg the sides of the conveyers and the ends of the slats mounted thereon Fig. 6 1s a vertical transverse section on the line 66 of Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a side elevation of a modified form offeed mechanism; Fig. 8 is a horizontal section on the line 88 of Fig.- 7, being virtually a top plan of the lower conveyer with its complement of gates of the upper conveyer; Fig. 9 is an enlarged to plan of two superposed gates'and the cab es by which they are im elled, shown in side elevation in Fig. 7; ant Fig. 10 is a vertical transverse A section on the line 1010 of Fig. 9.

The present invention is not confined to any particular design of drying apparatus, though in a general way it is intended for use on such driers in which rovision is made for allowing or causing t e heated air to travel crosswise of the general direction of travel of the conveyer on which the material to be dried, is carried. An example of such drying apparatus may be found in my- U. S. Patent 835,843, dated Nov. 13, 1906. In this patent I have shown a feed me chanism generically comprising a pair of 'juxta-- osed conveyers havmg-transverserib or slat yormations between which the articles to be dried are confined, any available means for.

holding the conveyers in said juxtaposed In drying veneer of one-eighth inch or more in thickness, thepressure thereon incident to the sagging of the lower lap of the upper conveyeris easily. overcome, the Veneer sheets readily and 'freely, shrinking during the drying operation without material-warping, and without splitting. In the case of very thin veneer, for example sheets one-sixteenth, one-twenty-fifth, or

less in thickness, any material sag of the lower lap of the upper conveyer is apt to produce a pressure on the veneer in excess of' what such thin sheets can effectively resist, and as a conse uence, the freedom which should be accorded them for the necessary movement, which they undergo while shrinking (during the drying operation) is interfered with to a greater or less degree, and there is consequent danger of thematerial splitting from the excessive pressure to which it is thus subjected under an abnormal sag of the lower lap of such upper conveyer.

It is the object of the present invention therefore to provide means for keeping the exposed surfaces of the slats or ribs of the cooperating or opposed laps of any pair of juxtaposed conveyers spaced permanently apart, such space'being substantially equal to, or slightly in excess of the thickness of the veneer sheet to be treated. These spacing means are located on the sides. of'the conveyers, and though I herein illustrate two specific forms of such spacing means, it is to be understood that these forms merely serve as examples of a variety of devices which might be employed for t 1e purpose in view. With the planes of travel of the opposing slats thus spaced permanently apart, it is apparent that thin sheets of veneer are substantially. relieved of an undue pressure resulting from the sag of t e lower lap-of the upper conveyer, and since the pressure which such sheets suffer is almost wholly confined to that which results from the limited buckling or warping of the sheets against the upper conveyer, their freedom to shrink is in no wise interfered with, and the sheets dry without splitting.

In my patent referred to, a permanent spacing between the slats of the opposed laps, while ractically possible for short lengths by so cient stretching of the chains, is impracticable for great lengths, and consequently b theuseof the invention here described, t e stretching of the belts need v not be resorted to. The advantages of the a casing nvention will be best. apparent from a de tailed description thereof which is as follows:

Referring to the drawings, and for the present to Figs. 1 to 6 incluslve, which show 1, a fan F, a fan-chamber 2, heaterj3, hot-air chambers or headers 4, 4' as in my Patent 835,843 above referred to, the opera- I tion 'of which is alreadywell known and Linderstood, 5, 5, represent endless bands mounted between s rocket disks 6, 6, carried on the shafts S, t ebands passin around the chambers 4, 4. Each air of bands is connected by cross slats, tu es, strips, bars, ribs' or equivalent transverse formations7, spaced three or four inches a rt, said formations collectively constituting the carry ing surface forthe conveyer-belt thus formed,

the adj acent laps of the conveyers travel ng 'geared as shown in 'gage the slats and thus im jointl 1n the space between the hot-air cham ers or headers, and forming a; feed mechanism for'the veneer V to be dried. In this particular the present invention conforms to the generic idea covered in my patent aforesaid. One air of disks is suitably veyers may be conjointl driven, the character and construction 0 the driving means.

being ont In the case of comparatively short lengths of belt, the same may be'conveniently stretchedto keep the slats constituting the lower lap of the upperconveyer sufficiently out of contact with the slats constituting the upper lap of the lower conveyer; but for conveyers measuring twenty, thirty, and forty upper belt is apt to bring some of t e'slats into actual contact. Intreating compara tively thick sheets of veneer the pressure due to the sag is effectively resisted by the sheets,v the same bein free to shrink-without splitting during the d ing operation, but very thin sheets should pressure due to this sag, and I accordin 1y feet or more the sag of .the lower lap of the make provision for keeping the slats of t e adjacent la s permanently a art without resortin to t 'e stretching of t e belts.

Wh e -I do not wish toslimit myself to the specific means here illustrated, those here s 'own'I have found effective and reliable in practice, and referring again to the figures mentioned, such means maybe described as follows: At the end of say every sixth slat I secure a metal strip 8 bentaround the fiat side of the slat and secured thereto, and thence passed partially over the curved face center of such slat, the finger thus the space between ig. 1, whereby the conto the slats are" e relieved of any undue As stated above,

of the slat and extended a suitable distance beyond the same thus forming a spacing piece or finger 8 whose end engages an opposing slat of 'the adjacent lap of the ofppo site conveyer at a point to one side 0 the extending from the edge of one slat diagonally across necessa 1 su port for the opposing slat. Preferab y,.t e spacing pieces are on the lower conveyer though obviously they may, be on the upper one and engage the upper lap of the lower conveyer without affecting the principle or nature of the invention. In practice a spa'cin piece every sixth slat is sufficient, asthe is t can not and does not sag perceptibly between two consecutive pieces (the distance between two s acing pieces being about twent inches). y the above arrangement, the s ats of the opposed laps of the juxtaposed conveyers are thus kept permanently apart, and athin sheet of veneer is-free to shrink without being subjected to any pressure. except the incidental pressure resulting from undue warping of the sheet, in which event actual contact with the slats of the lower lap of the upper conveyer may result. The pressure incidental to warping would be very slight, the war ing being reduced to a Inin mum by virtue o the uniformity with which the sheets dry under my construction. The hot air currents travelse the veneer in tween the slats, unobstructed and at right angles to the line of travel of-the conveyers an at right angles to the grain of the veneer, the same-as in mypatent aforesaid, and a uniform, superior, and perfect product is the result: The fingersengaging asv they do'the opposingl slats at a point beyond the center of t e curved face of the slat insures.

againstpossible separation of the slats constituting any opposing pair, the conveyers travelin in the irection shown by the arrows in igs. 1 and 3,..th-at is to say, in the direction which the concavity of the finger or spacing piece 8 faces. The precise config uration ofthe spacing piece or finger here shown need not of course be adhered to in practice, though the one illustrated answers every purpose. The finger is resilient and bearing and pressinga's it does against an opthe slats and forming'the the channels formed heposing slat in a slightly diagonal direction (Fig. 5), it not only serves as a positive support therefor, but in a measure tends to keep taut the band 5 on which the slats are mounted.

tion of the conveyer 'or of the spacing ineans by which the slats ofthe opposing laps are kept apart; and in Figs. 7 to 10 inclusive I showda pair'of juxtaposed conveyers compose around sheaves 11, 11 on the I do not wish to be limited either to the precise details of construcof'twosets of endless bands or cables i 10. traveling composed of cross bars or slats 12 and side I the outer faces of the side bars.

bars 13, the ends of the slats being secured to When. a pair of gates are superposed one over the other with the side bars 13 in contact, it follows that the opposing slats of the gates will 3 be separated a distance equal to twice the .thickness of a single side bar, or the thickness of two superposed sidebars. The up er gate of each pair is of course held against isplacement by the lower laps of the upper set of cables, the lower gate resting on the upper lapsof the lower set of cables. The pairs of gates (of which any number may be dis osed veyers havin onl t throughout the length of the drying 0 am ber) thus constitute pairs of juxtaposed con cross slats, and having means at the ends 0 the slats for keeping the opposing members of the several airs of slats 12 permanently apart. The si e bars too serve to close the sides of the feed mechanism thus resulting from the superposition of two gates,

each gate constituting vasection provided with cross-slats held in opposed and juxtaposed relation to the slats of its co6perat ing ate or section. By'analogy, the separate aps of the conveyers shown in Figs. 1 to 6, may be considered as constituting the component sections'of a feed mechanism which. contemplates their conjoint use during the drying o eration.

Such eatures of construction as 'maybe illustrated but to which no reference is herein made are either well known. or covered in pre ViOUS patents issued to me, and there is no occasion to enter into a description 'thereof'at this time.- Obviously the material to be dried need not be limited to veneer.

It is to be observed that the present improvement in no wise contem lates a different modeof operation from t at of the in vention covered by U. S. Patent 835,843 referred .to. Both forms of apparatus covera pair (one or more) of juxtaposed transversely slatted conveyers (the spaces between the slats or transverse formations being of course open), the material being cons fined'gfbetween opposing membersof successive pairsiofslats of the adjacent laps of such 'uxtaposed conveyers. By o posing memers of course is not necessar' y meant thatthe members shall be vertically in the same straight line, but that the extreme elements forming the veneer-engaging surfaces of the slats in the lower lap or run of the upper conveyer shall be dis osed in a plane of travel immediately over t e plane of disposition and travel of the corresponding elements formin the veneer-engaging surfaces of the slats 'o the u per run of the lower convelyer for it is Eat character of opposed re ationwhich 'wil permit contact of the slats with the veneer along lines or reduced surfaces as contemi the sides of, and betweent plated by the patent. Every slat of the ower conveyer will of course have a correspondi n slat in the upper conveyer in 0pposed re ation'thereto, i twoopposed slats tolconfine the material, but

i such confinement shall never be so intenseas to prevent the material freely shrinking during drying. A positive and material embedding of the slats into the material so that i the latter. is no longer free to shrink while drying is neither contemplated in the patent nor in the presentjim rovement thereon;

i and it is to maintain t at delicate relation between the adjacent laps of juxtaposed conveyers operating on thin veneer that s acing means of the general character fiere shown and claimed are resorted to on the sides of the conveyers, since thin veneer sheets are characterlstically sensitive to any undue pressure which may result from the sag'of a long conveyer incapable of'complete 'control by mere stretching. Obviously, however, and like in my patent aforesaid, the range of juxtaposition (or nearness) between the 006 crating runs of any pair of conveyers lies within narrow limits, but they are limits such as to always insure erfect freedom of shrinkage for the materia while drying, and at the same time permit the slatsto offer at tow atever tendency may yet remain in the materialto war The slats however contacting as the d o only along single lines, so that practical y the entire surfaces of both sides of the sheet are simultaneously exposed to the hot'air currents, it follows that this tendency. to warp will be reduced to a minimum as already set forth in my previous patcut. The present improvement is, of course, eminently adapted to operate not only on thin veneer, but on veneer whose thickness corres onds to or slightly exceeds, the full space etween the slats of opposing runs of two juxtaposed conveyers.

Having described my invention, what I claim is 2' 1. A feed mechanism comprising a pair of juxtaposed conveyers, and having transverse rib formations between which the articles may be confined, and means disposed along the length of the conveyers for keepin the adjacent. laps of said conveyers space permanentl apart, substantially as set forth.

2. Afee juxtaposed conveyers, and having transverse rib formations between which the articles maybe confined, and means disposed at lthesides of the conveyers for keeping the adjacent laps-of said convrizlyers spaced ermanently apart, substantia y as set forth 3. A feed mechanism comprising a pair of juxtaposed conveyers, and having transverse rib formations between which the articles may be confined, ands acing devices at e conveyers for the proper moment the necessary resistance.

mechanism comprising a pair of since it takes at least keeping the adjacent laps of said conveyers spaced permanently apart, substantially as set forth.

p 4. A feed mechanism comprising a pair of juxtaposed conveyers, and having i transverse rib formations between which the articles may be confinedf'and spacing devices carried by either one ofthe conveyers at the sides thereof for keeping the adjacent laps of ried by the ends of the slats of either one of the conveyers and engaging the. opposing slats of the adjacent lap of 'the second conveyer for permanentlykeeping the ad'acent laps of the conveyers s aced a suitabl tance apart, substantial y as set forth.

6-. A feed mechanism comprising a pair of juxtaposed conveyers having transverse ribs or bars spaced suitable distances apart, the material treated being inserted between the adjacent laps of the conveyers and confined between the aforesald transverse formations, and means at opposite ends of the transverse formations the adjacent laps of said I conveyers spaced a suitable 'distance' apart,

substantially as set forth. 7

Cqrrection in Letters Patent No. 893,126-

- able 7. A feed mechanism comprising a pair of juxtaposed conveyers having transverse ribs or bars spaced suitable distances apart, the material treated being inserted between the adjacent laps of the conveyers and confined between the aforesaid transverse formations,

and means disposed along the sides of the conveyers for permanently keeping the adjacent laps of said conveyers spaced a suitdistance apart, substantially as set forth.

' 8. A feed mechanism comprising a pair of juxtaposed endless conveyers having transverse ribs or slats spaced suitable distances apart, a rib or slat on one conveyer actingin opposed relation to a rib or slat on the ad a-' cent conveyer, the material treated being-1ne disfor permanently keeping forth.

serted between. the successive pair of opposedslats of. the respective conveyers, and means disposed on the conveyers for permanently keeping the .members of the several pairs of opposed slats a suitable distance apart, substantially as set forth.

9. A feed mechanism comprising a pair of juxtaposed endless conveyers havin transverse ribs or slats spaced suitable distances apart, a rib or slat on one conveyer actin in opposed relation to a rib or' slat on the a jacent conveyer, the material treated being inserted between the successive pair of opposed slats of-the respective conveyers, and means disposed on the sides of the conve ers for permanentl keepin the members 0 the several pairs 0 oppose slats a suitable distance apart, substantially as set forth.

10. A feed mechanism-comprising a pair l of juxtaposed transversely slotted conveyers contacting along the sides, the slatted por tions forming the available carrying surfaces of the conveyers between said sides and being .permanently'spaced a suitable distance apart contact, substantially as, set

during suc 11. A feed mechanism comprising a pair of juxtaposed endless conveyers having transverse ribs or slats spaced suitable distances apart and forming the available carrying surfaces for said conveyers, the sides of the. opposing laps of the conveyers being in contact and the slats bein mounted to effect a permanent separation etween the opposed surfaces of the adjacent laps during such lateral contact of the conveyers, substantially as set forth.

- 12. Akfeed mechanism comprisin a pair of transversely slatted sections traveling conjointly and, In juxtaposition and closed on the sides, the transverse formations of the respective sections being permanently spaced apart, substantially as set forth. In testimony'whereof I aflix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

, HENRY BAETZ. Witnesses;

EM'iL STAREK, MARY D. WHITCOMB.

i It is hereby-certified that in Letters Patent No. 893,126, g'rantedJ 14, 1908, upon [scan] the application of Henry Baetz, of St. L0uis, Missouri, for an improvement in Feed Mechanism for Drying Apparatus, an error appears in the printed specification v as follows In line 69, page 4, theword slotted should read slatted; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Oiiice. v

Signed and sealed this 4th day of August, A. 1)., 1908.

C. (1., BILLINGS,

Acting Commissioner of Patents.

keeping the adjacent laps of said conveyers spaced permanently apart, substantially as set forth.

p 4. A feed mechanism comprising a pair of juxtaposed conveyers, and having i transverse rib formations between which the articles may be confinedf'and spacing devices carried by either one ofthe conveyers at the sides thereof for keeping the adjacent laps of ried by the ends of the slats of either one of the conveyers and engaging the. opposing slats of the adjacent lap of 'the second conveyer for permanentlykeeping the ad'acent laps of the conveyers s aced a suitabl tance apart, substantial y as set forth.

6-. A feed mechanism comprising a pair of juxtaposed conveyers having transverse ribs or bars spaced suitable distances apart, the material treated being inserted between the adjacent laps of the conveyers and confined between the aforesald transverse formations, and means at opposite ends of the transverse formations the adjacent laps of said I conveyers spaced a suitable 'distance' apart,

substantially as set forth. 7

Cqrrection in Letters Patent No. 893,126-

- able 7. A feed mechanism comprising a pair of juxtaposed conveyers having transverse ribs or bars spaced suitable distances apart, the material treated being inserted between the adjacent laps of the conveyers and confined between the aforesaid transverse formations,

and means disposed along the sides of the conveyers for permanently keeping the adjacent laps of said conveyers spaced a suitdistance apart, substantially as set forth.

' 8. A feed mechanism comprising a pair of juxtaposed endless conveyers having transverse ribs or slats spaced suitable distances apart, a rib or slat on one conveyer actingin opposed relation to a rib or slat on the ad a-' cent conveyer, the material treated being-1ne disfor permanently keeping forth.

serted between. the successive pair of opposedslats of. the respective conveyers, and means disposed on the conveyers for permanently keeping the .members of the several pairs of opposed slats a suitable distance apart, substantially as set forth.

9. A feed mechanism comprising a pair of juxtaposed endless conveyers havin transverse ribs or slats spaced suitable distances apart, a rib or slat on one conveyer actin in opposed relation to a rib or' slat on the a jacent conveyer, the material treated being inserted between the successive pair of opposed slats of-the respective conveyers, and means disposed on the sides of the conve ers for permanentl keepin the members 0 the several pairs 0 oppose slats a suitable distance apart, substantially as set forth.

10. A feed mechanism-comprising a pair l of juxtaposed transversely slotted conveyers contacting along the sides, the slatted por tions forming the available carrying surfaces of the conveyers between said sides and being .permanently'spaced a suitable distance apart contact, substantially as, set

during suc 11. A feed mechanism comprising a pair of juxtaposed endless conveyers having transverse ribs or slats spaced suitable distances apart and forming the available carrying surfaces for said conveyers, the sides of the. opposing laps of the conveyers being in contact and the slats bein mounted to effect a permanent separation etween the opposed surfaces of the adjacent laps during such lateral contact of the conveyers, substantially as set forth.

- 12. Akfeed mechanism comprisin a pair of transversely slatted sections traveling conjointly and, In juxtaposition and closed on the sides, the transverse formations of the respective sections being permanently spaced apart, substantially as set forth. In testimony'whereof I aflix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

, HENRY BAETZ. Witnesses;

EM'iL STAREK, MARY D. WHITCOMB.

i It is hereby-certified that in Letters Patent No. 893,126, g'rantedJ 14, 1908, upon [scan] the application of Henry Baetz, of St. L0uis, Missouri, for an improvement in Feed Mechanism for Drying Apparatus, an error appears in the printed specification v as follows In line 69, page 4, theword slotted should read slatted; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Oiiice. v

Signed and sealed this 4th day of August, A. 1)., 1908.

C. (1., BILLINGS,

Acting Commissioner of Patents.

Correction in Letters Patent No. 893.126

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 893,126, granted July 14, 1908, upon the application of Henry Baetz, of St. Louis, Missouri, for an improvement in Feed I Mechanism for Drying Apparatus, an error appears in the printed specification In line 69, page 4, the word slotted should read slatted; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein I requiring correction, as follows:

that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Oflice. Signed and sealed this 4th day of August, A. D., 1908.

8th. 0. o. BILLINGS,

Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

